High-Performance Computing as the Future of Holyoke's E-conomy, Part II

Photo: Greg SaulmonL-R: Holyoke Mayor Michael Sullivan, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, UMass President Dr. Jack Wilson and Boston University Robert Brown look on as MIT President Dr. Susan Hockfield signs a letter of intent at the Holyoke Public Library.

According to MIT President Dr. Susan Hockfield, our greatest technical and scientific challenges -- such as modeling climate change and managing a 'smart grid' -- "will yield only to the power of high-performance computing."

During her remarks at Thursday's announcement of the planned $100 million Holyoke High-Performance Computing Center, Hockfield explained that, over the past few years, her colleagues at MIT had initiated planning to accommodate the surge in demand for high-performance computing. "We wondered whether we could pair that need with the green energy supply here in Holyoke," she said.

The city's capacity to draw power from renewable energy sources -- hydro-electricity and solar / wind power -- will make the HPCC project "conspicuously green," in the words of University of Massachusetts President Dr. Jack M. Wilson.

A press release issued by the Governor's office explains that high-performance computing "...has become an increasingly critical tool for both academic and coporate research across a variety of fields, including biotechnology and alternative energy." To that end, the HPCC -- the product of a three-way collaboration between higher education, private industry and government -- will anchor the region's innovation economy. "For the Commonwealth's research universities to remain at the forefront of research, this center is key," Hockfield said.

Boston University president Robert Brown observed that the level of collaboration the project will entail will be hard to match anywhere in the world. "In this room you can feel the human energy," he said.

Later, in a reception at his High Street office, Brendan Ciecko -- founder of the web design firm Ten Minute Media -- echoed Brown's thoughts on the strength of the project's collaborative aspects: "Albany has their AMDprocessor project, which is a couple billion dollars -- a little more than we have here. But, do they have MIT? No."

Over the next 120 days, there's likely to be a lot of speculation about the HPCC's potential economic benefits for Holyoke, the Pioneer Valley, and Massachusetts as a whole. Within the state, currently operating data centers include a ServerCity facility in Marlboro; the Harvard-MIT Data Center in Cambridge; and Cisco's New England Development Center in Boxborough.

One of the country's most high-profile data center projects, though, is located in The Dalles, a city of 12,000 in north-central Oregon. The Dalles is home to 6,000 acres of cherry trees, 50,000 acres of wheat, and, as of 2006, a 2.6 acre data center housing thousands of Google's processors and servers. In a June, 2006 article, the New York Times described the project as Google's "...secret weapon in its quest to dominate the next generation of Internet computing." The Times reported:

Local residents are at once enthusiastic and puzzled about their affluent but secretive new neighbor, a successor to the aluminum manufacturers that once came seeking the cheap power that flows from the dams holding back the powerful Columbia. The project has created hundreds of construction jobs, caused local real estate prices to jump 40 percent and is expected to create 60 to 200 permanent jobs in a town of 12,000 people when the center opens later this year.

We started building our data center here three years ago and today we are a fully operational site that employs approximately 200 people, ranging from technology assistants to experienced data center managers. We have had an excellent experience in The Dalles as we've built out this $600 million investment, and we look forward to being a part of the Columbia Gorge community for many years to come.

An FAQ page offers the following overview of the jobs available at the data center:

Jobs at Google data centers focus on ensuring that the facility's computers are running at optimum speed and efficiency 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Different positions require a variety of skills and backgrounds, ranging from entry-level technology assistants to experienced data center managers and Linux administrators. In every case, we look for individuals who demonstrate the potential to excel in intense computing environments.

And, a separate "jobs" page notes, "It takes an entire team of talented people to keep a data center operational." Specific positions include "Data Center Facilities Technician," which seeks candidates with "an associate's degree, trade school certification, or other verifiable training in a relevant technical field. Experience as a journeyman or mechanical, HVAC or electrical expertise is sought." Positions such as "Data Center Technician" require two years of experience troubleshooting PC hardware, as well as a year or more of Linux experience; for the position of "Manager/Director Server Operations," candidates with an MS or PhD in Applied Science are preferred.

In order to provide additional context about how the Holyoke High-Performance Computing Center might impact the local economy, I called Dan Durow, director of The Dalles planning department. He agreed to take a look at my questions. I'll write a follow-up post when I hear back; but, until then, here's what I asked:

• A June 14, 2006 New York Times article states: "The project has created hundreds of construction jobs, caused local real estate prices to jump 40 percent and is expected to create 60 to 200 permanent jobs in a town of 12,000 people when the center opens later this year." Do you have a figure for the actual number of permanent jobs the data center has created?

• Do you have figures (or estimates) on the salary ranges of those permanent jobs?

• In addition to temporary jobs, such as construction, can you comment on the data center's ancillary impacts on the local economy? That is, has the city seen a boost in downtown commerce since the opening of the data center?

• Has the center contributed in any way to improvements in job opportunities for low-wage or unskilled workers?

• How has the data center meshed with / supported the city's existing plans for urban renewal?

• Did the city pitch itself to Google, or did Google initiate contact with The Dalles?

• How long did the process take, from the earliest contacts with Google to the center's opening?

• Google's FAQ about the data center notes that, "the team from the local community that welcomed us has worked exceptionally hard throughout the selection process." Can you describe the steps the city took to "sell" Google on the location? Can you comment on any tax / other incentives that were offered?

• Did you hear concerns from residents when the project was announced? What were those concerns? How did community perception of the project evolve over time?

• Has the data center met the city's hopes and expectations in terms of economic development? If so, how? Are there any areas in which it has fallen short?